The Country Of Endless White
by Confessions of a Yandere
Summary: Her flag is the vast whiteness of the snow, the bewitching colors that dance across her midnight sky. Her anthem is the song of the wind as it sweeps across the endless hills of ice. When a new land, Antarctica, is discovered, countries around the world are eager to begin laying claims... Please review if you would like me to continue!
1. Prologue: The Child of Ice

**AN: Thank you all for the reviews! Now I am really excited to continue the story. More chapters will be added soon!**

February 7th, 1821.

Captain John Davis felt the deep snow crunch beneath his boot, a strange sensation that filled his mind with confused wonder. He took another step, sinking into the thick blanket of white that stretched across this strange, southern land. A sharp wind stung his eyes, and he grimaced. Behind him, the rest of the expedition clambered up from the small boat and onto the high, icy land. Their ship, Cecilia, loomed behind in the frigid waters, a dark sillouette against the whiteness of the frozen sky.

"Shall we send out scout parties, sir?" A gruff voice asked beside him.

He confirmed the idea. "Split the men up into groups. We'll search for seals along the coast and then continue our voyage before the storm rolls in." He glared up at the dark clouds crawling towards them from the north, and was rewarded with another sharp breeze in his eyes.

Thirty minutes later, not one seal had been sighted. Davis cursed beneath his breath, which rose as a cloud of steam in the frozen air. Another hour lost, he thought. "There's nothing more to see here! Let's head back!" He told his men. They looked relieved. A steady fall of snow had begun, white flakes spinning fiercely with capricious gusts of wind. The sky was darkening, the storm almost upon them. The others turned and began trudging back towards the ship. The captain turned to join them, giving one last, long glance at the desolate, yet strangely wonderous land of endless white that he would soon leave behind.

Suddenly he stopped.

What in God's name...? He stared above him as brutal winds blew flakes of snow all around him. There... on the top of a ridge not far away... could it be?

A child stood there, with hair as white as snow blowing in the wind. She hovered on the ledge, looking down on him as icy flakes danced around her thin, pale figure.

"Hey!" He shouted into the storm. "What are you doing up there?" The winds intensified, snatching his words and tossing them up to be lost in the whirling snow.

"Sir?" The other men stared at him. "What are you yelling at?" They stopped and peered into the blinding whiteness.

Icy wind and spinning flakes stung his reddened eyes. He rubbed the pain away with frozen gloves, looking back up to where the child had stood. She had vanished.

I must be going mad... He thought as he searched the ridge for a trace of the phantom. He turned back to the others.

"Nothing." He said. "There's nothing."

He pulled the warmth of his coat tighter around him and started back towards the ship.


	2. Chapter One: A Country In Question

"So, how have your little 'expeditions' been going, down on that oversized iceberg at the bottom of the world?" England took another sip of tea, the usual unamused and caustic expression plastered across his face.

America didn't seem to notice his sarcastic tone. "Great!" He smiled, eyes sparkling with excitement. "You wouldn't believe how many seals live down there!"

England sighed. "First whales and now this..." he muttered. "Those upstarts are going to turn every existing marine animal into an endangered species."

"Eh? What'd you say, England?"

"Nothing. Pass the sugar."

America slid the sugar bowl across the table, his face suddenly serious. "Although... my last captain did report something strange..."

One bushy eyebrow raised as England set down his cup delicately. "What was it? An unusual amount of nothing?"

"No. He said he saw... a child, standing in the snow."

England spluttered. "That's absurd!" He laughed. "Maybe you should have your captain replaced. His eyesight seems to be failing him."

"Yes, you're probably right. But maybe... this new land isn't floating ice after all. Maybe... it's a country!"

"Are you suggesting..."

"I don't know... could it be?"

"So you think this child he saw might be... one of us?"

"It is possible!"

England's emerald eyes grew wide. "This changes everything..." he muttered. "If a new country has been discovered, think of how many nations will want to lay claim to it! And the child... if it is like us, the future of this southern land sounds promising!"

"Alright!" America stood up excitedly. "Let's go investigate this, like heroes! Yahoo!"

"Er- yes." England realized what he was dragging himself into. A boat ride across the ocean with this immature git? Yet... he needed to see this for himself before anyone else had a similar idea, just in case their assumptions turned out to be true. He wanted to be the first to lay any claims on this new territory.


	3. Chapter Two: Antics and the Arctic

"PENGUINS!"

America shouted in esctasy as he sighted the waddling birds not far away, his eyes wide with excitement. "AWESOME!" He began running towards them through the snow, a strange sight in his oversized fur coat and aviator hat, earflaps blowing in the frosty breeze.

"Get back here, you bloody idiot!" England shouted after him. "Help me get this thing working again!"

America payed him no attention. England sighed in annoyance and pulled his thick coat tight around his shoulders, glaring up at the still-smouldering wreckage that had once been their transport. Trust an american to crash a plane in the middle of an arctic tundra...

Now what were they going to do? England smouldered just as much as the ruined aeroplane.

He scanned the white horizon. Nothing. No sign of a mysterious child of any sort. That captain must have been mad after all... anyone would be after freezing their eyebrows off for days on this wasteland of an iceberg.

"Hoy! Delinquent!" A voice reached his ears. A very familiar voice. England whirled around.

"Big brother's here!" France trudged towards him, smiling widely. His long blonde hair was tucked away inside a white fur hood.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here, you flamboyant bastard?!" England's face reddened in a mix of disbelief and rage.

He grinned with evil amusement. "I came to see the new country you've been talking so much about, of course! Don't think that I wouldn't get in on the action." France surveyed the heap of obliterated aeroplane, his fashionable overcoat dancing in the arctic air. "Though it looks as if you two got here the hard way..." he commented.

"W-WHAT? I didn't tell you about coming here! It was America, wasn't it, that idiot..."

"I overheard you two after the meeting, days ago! I didn't want to leave this new country to the mercy of you two fools!"

"You Ass-hat! We aren't even sure if this is a country yet-"

"Hey, you guys! Over here!" France and England turned at the sound of America's voice.

"Look what I made! Isn't it cool?!" America stood beaming next to the enormous igloo he had spontaniously constructed.

"Erk-" England's jaw dropped. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU BUILD AN ENTIRE SNOW FORT IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES?!"

"HAHAHAHAHAAA!" America laughed.

"Never mind how on earth he did it. We might be in need of shelter pretty soon," France pointed out. It was true. A steady fall of snow had begun to float down from the darkening sky. "It looks like a storm is coming! You two didn't plan this little expedition very well, did you?"

"What?! Neither did you!" England snapped. "And what do you mean, we? Don't you have your own transportation? How did you get here, anyway?"

France balked. "Well... the same way as you, I suppose..." His blue eyes turned to the sky. "My ship was wrecked along the coast. This damned weather seems to have the need to wreck everything around here!"

"Ha!" It was England's turn to smirk. "So much for your feigned superiority! At least WE salvaged our supplies!"

"Hey, you two!" America cut in. "Quit arguing and help me carry all this stuff!

Several hours later, the three countries were huddled inside America's massive igloo, listening to the howling wind as it swept through the heavy downpour of spiraling snow. Inside, it was comfortable enough, with everyone wrapped in coccoons of blankets and sitting in a circle.

"So, what is our next plan of action?" England asked in the dim, but warm glow of the lantern. "We came here for a purpose, but seeing as we're now stranded, should we be focusing more on our survival?"

"Well, I haven't seen any kid or anything hanging around..." America stated. "Maybe we don't even have a reason to be here!"

"We can't be sure of anything just yet," said France. "We'll have to wait until the night passes and this storm blows out before we make any decisions."

"At any rate, we'll be safe in here for now!" America added, cheerily. I can try fixing the radio and sending an S.O.S. out tomorrow." He yawned. "Let's all just get some rest now. Even a hero needs his sleep!"

America promptly turned around and lay back on his makeshift mattress of blankets. The others followed his example. "I suppose I can tolerate you two for one night..." England muttered as he shut off the lantern, enveloping them in darkness. He curled up on the floor, listening to the moaning of the wind whisper him to sleep.

Halfway through the night, England awoke. He realized through the deep silence that the storm outside had come to a halt. Everything was still, save the peacefully breathing bodies of his companions, still deep in slumber.

He pulled on his gloves and crawled to the entrance of the shelter, marvelling at the soft perfection of the new fallen snow that had gathered while they slept. Without knowing why, he clambered slowly outside, his breath visible in the still and icy air in a shivering cloud of steam. He stood in silent wonder, staring up at the midnight sky. So many stars... he thought. Millions of them. More than he had ever seen in his lifetime. More than he could ever see back on the small island he called home. They shone **clear** and cold against the velvet night, unwavering in their stunning purity. He gaped slightly, mesmerised as ribbons of light danced on the horizon, vibrant colors swaying entrancingly in a bewitching display.

This was beauty, he thought. True beauty. Perhaps this was what he was missing, back home, where progress left no time for silent wonder like this. He had never understood the simple, raw power that nature could possess: A power greater than the smoke of industrialization, the battle cries of a thousand soldiers, the sweetness of victory through imperial might. Perhaps he was missing the big picture.

A sudden draft sent an icy tingling up his neck. He shivered, taking his eyes off the stunning sight of the midnight sky. And then he saw her.

She was standing, there, beneath the stars, eyes closed as an invisible breeze fluttered through her pale hair. Where had she come from?

"Hello?" He called to her. "What are you doing out here? Who are you?"

The child opened her wide eyes. Even from a distance, he could see the colors of the polar lights reflected inside them, shifting vibrantly as they had in the sky. Suddenly, she turned without a backward glance, dashing away, across the frozen snow. Her feet barely touched the ground.

"Wait!" England cried. "Don't leave!"

But the mysterious child had already vanished like a phantom in the night.

**AN: Yay! Another chapter finished (sorry that took a while). Apologies for the randomness and the length... And I know I said they were taking a boat in the previous chapter, but maybe they changed their minds? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to leave me a review ;)**


End file.
